Sihle Sithole, commonly known as Blxckie, is a South African rapper, Songwriter and Record Producer.[1] Born and raised in Sydenham Heights, Durban. His debut studio album B4Now (2021) was certified gold in South Africa.
Blxckie | |
---|---|
Born | Sihle Sithole Sydenham Heights, Durban, South Africa |
Nationality | South African |
Other names | Somnyama |
Alma mater | University of KwaZulu-Natal |
Occupation |
|
Musical career | |
Also known as | somnyama, yena yedwa |
Genres |
|
Labels |
|
Musical artist | |
Website | blxckie |
Sihle Sithole born in Sydenham Heights, Durban, South Africa.[2]
In an interview with Jade Kelly, he commented that he felt there was a disconnect between South African artists and their fans, saying "It's almost like when an artist blows up or gets a little bit of fame, that goes straight to their head. But what they forget is that the fans will always be the thing that stands between you and greatness. As much as they love the music, we need them to keep listening if we want to stick around, and that's what I'm all about."[1][3]
His musical interest started at the age of 8, recording music together with his friends.[2] Sithole enrolled at University of KwaZulu-Natal with a degree in Social Sciences.[2]
In March 2021, Sithole visited Johannesburg and the country went on a 21-day lockdown while he was still there.[4]
Early that same month, he was named Up Next artist by Apple Music.[5][6][7]
On 30 April 2021, his single "David" was released.[8] The song was certified gold in South Africa.[9]
On 10 May, 2021, he announced a single "Ye ×4" featuring Nasty C and the release date via his Instagram account.[10][11] The song was released 14 May 2021.
"Ye ×4" was certified double platinum with sales of over 40,000 units.[9]
His debut studio album B4Now was released on 21 May 2021. It features appearances from artists such as Nasty C, LucasRaps, FLVME, Rowlene, and LeoDaleo.[3][4][12] The album was certified gold in South Africa with sales of over 10,000 units.
Blxckie embarked on B4Now Tour on 26 November in Durban, The Warehouse; that included 10 dates that ran through to December 2021.[13][14]
He won Freshman of the Year and was nominated for Album of the Year (B4Now), Song of the Year ("Ye ×4") and Best Collaboration at the South African Hip Hop Awards 2021.[15][16]
In December 2021, he ranked number 1 on MTV Base: SA's Hottest MCs.[17][18]
"Cold" was released as his new EP's lead single on 3 February 2022, at the time of release he also announced the release date of his EP via his Instagram account.[19]
On 18 February 2022, his EP 4LUV was released.[20] He later collaborated with fellow rapper, A-Reece on the song “Sneaky”.
He would then be nominated as the Best International Flow at the BET Hip Hop Awards 2022.
In May 2022, he was announced as the ambassador of clothing brand Redbat/Sportscenes.[21]
Title | Type | Album details | Certification |
---|---|---|---|
B4Now [22][23] |
Studio album |
|
Gold |
Title | Type | Album details | Certification |
---|---|---|---|
Eqnx II | EP |
|
|
It Feels Like a Dream |
|
||
Blxck Panda (with Khumz) |
|
||
The 4Mula | •Release date:2022
•Label: •Formats: Digital Download |
||
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album |
---|---|---|---|---|
ZA | ||||
"Sete" (K.O featuring Blxckie and Young Stunna) |
2022 | 1 | 2× Platinum[24][25] | SR3 |
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | Himself | Best International Flow | Pending | [26] |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | Himself | Songwriter of the Year | Won | [27] |
Authority control ![]() |
|
---|